Essex Property Trust

ESS Q1 2026 Earnings

Reported Feb 4, 2026 at 4:43 PM ET · SEC Source

Q1 26 EPS

$N/A

Q1 26 Revenue

N/A

vs S&P Since Q1 26

-0.4%

TRAILING MARKET

ESS +6.0% vs S&P +6.4%

Market Reaction

Did ESS Beat Earnings? Q1 2026 Results

Essex Property Trust delivered a mixed fourth quarter for 2025, beating revenue expectations while falling short on earnings per share. The West Coast apartment REIT posted revenue of $479.63 million, ahead of the $470.35 million consensus by 1.97% a… Read more Essex Property Trust delivered a mixed fourth quarter for 2025, beating revenue expectations while falling short on earnings per share. The West Coast apartment REIT posted revenue of $479.63 million, ahead of the $470.35 million consensus by 1.97% and up 5.5% year-over-year, but GAAP EPS of $1.25 trailed the $1.45 estimate by 13.79%, a gap driven largely by the absence of prior-year gains on real estate sales and co-investment remeasurements that had inflated the year-ago comparison. Underneath the headline miss, operating fundamentals held firm, with Core FFO per diluted share rising 1.5% year-over-year to $3.98 and financial occupancy improving to 96.3%. Northern California remained the standout region, with San Mateo County delivering 6.2% same-property revenue growth in the quarter. Looking ahead, Essex guided 2026 Core FFO per diluted share to a midpoint of $15.94, though structured finance headwinds tempered the outlook; Stifel responded by trimming its price target to $278 while maintaining a Hold rating on the stock.

Key Takeaways

  • Same-property revenue growth of 3.8% year-over-year in Q4 2025
  • Same-property NOI growth of 3.8% year-over-year in Q4 2025
  • Financial occupancy improvement to 96.3% from 95.9% year-over-year
  • Delinquency as percentage of scheduled rent improved to 0.5% from 1.3% in Q4 2024
  • Core FFO per diluted share grew 1.5% year-over-year in Q4 and 2.2% for full year
  • San Mateo County same-property revenue growth of 6.2% and Santa Clara County of 5.2% in Q4
  • Northern California led with 4.2% same-property revenue growth in Q4

ESS Forward Guidance & Outlook

For full-year 2026, Essex guided Net Income per diluted share of $5.55 to $6.05 (midpoint $5.80), Total FFO per diluted share of $15.54 to $16.04 (midpoint $15.79), and Core FFO per diluted share of $15.69 to $16.19 (midpoint $15.94). Q1 2026 Core FFO is guided at $3.89 to $4.01 (midpoint $3.95). Same-property revenue growth is expected at 2.25% to 3.25% (cash basis), with same-property NOI growth of 0.8% to 3.4%. Key assumptions include $175 million in structured finance maturities, approximately $80 million in development funding with no new development starts, and revenue-generating capital expenditures of approximately $100 million at pro rata share. Management expects a muted U.S. labor market with the West Coast modestly outperforming driven by technology sector growth, and similar blended rate growth to 2025 at a 2.5% midpoint, with lower supply in 2026 offsetting soft job growth.

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ESS YoY Financials

Q1 2026 vs Q1 2025, source: SEC Filings

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ESS Revenue by Segment

With YoY comparisons, source: SEC Filings

Q1 25 Q4 25
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ESS Revenue by Geography

With YoY comparisons, source: SEC Filings

Q1 25 Q4 25